New Executive Director
Cannon River Stem School Board of Directors has chosen Wendy Reinsch Fisher as our new Executive Director
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Director's Message
April 9, 2021
Dear CRSS Families:
Important Reminder: No school on Monday, April 12
It's hard to believe that spring has sprung and we are in the home stretch of the school year! In fact, Tuesday April 13th marks the start of our 4th Quarter.
Over the next few weeks we will be conducting MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) in grades 3-8. Please ensure your children get plenty of sleep so they are alert and prepared for taking the tests. The testing schedule is as follows:
3rd-8th grade Reading: 4/14 & 4/15 8:30-11:30
3rd-8th grade Math: 4/28 & 4/29 8:30-11:30
5th and 8th only Science: 5/3 & 5/4 8:30-11:30
3rd-8th grade Math: 4/28 & 4/29 8:30-11:30
5th and 8th only Science: 5/3 & 5/4 8:30-11:30
Make-up days: 4/16, 4/30, 5/6
Distance Learning students will be contacted by CRSS staff to determine if families will choose to bring their student(s) on campus to test or not.
Second Grade Highlights:
The second graders just finished up learning about landmarks around the world and each student created a brochure for famous United States landmarks. See the pictures below of students working on their beautiful brochures!
Second graders will also be spending a lot of time outdoors learning and exploring, especially with Earth Day coming up. They've got a virtual field trip to the Como Zoo planned as well as a virtual tour/lesson through the Raptor Center. They will be learning about plant life cycles and experimenting with different liquids to see what makes our plants flourish.
BRILLANT BROCHURES BY 2ND GRADERS:
Earth Week:
Earth Week s is fast approaching. It is the week of April 19-23. Our Environmental Education Committee is busy preparing exciting activities for Earth Week at CRSS! Here is a sneak peak at some of the fun activities they are planning:
*Classrooms will have the opportunity to spend at least one day entirely outdoors
*Classrooms will have the opportunity to eat lunch/snack outside
*Classrooms will have the opportunity to eat lunch/snack outside
*Classrooms will compete for the Raptor Award
*Staff will create a virtual bookshelf similar to the one in December
*All classes will take a virtual fieldtrip to the Raptor Center
*Stay tuned, much more to come!
*Staff will create a virtual bookshelf similar to the one in December
*All classes will take a virtual fieldtrip to the Raptor Center
*Stay tuned, much more to come!
Dress Code Reminder:
Spring is a good time to review our school's clothing expectations for students. Please take a few minutes and review the following expectations from the CRSS Family Handbook with your child.
∙ Clothing and grooming must not interfere with the education process or create disorder in the school.
∙ Clothing and grooming must not present a danger to the health or safety of the student or others.
∙ Clothing must not display logos or images relating to alcohol, tobacco, drug products, or their use.
∙ Clothing must not display profanity or comments/pictures/designs that are obscene, profane or vulgar. ∙ Clothing must not harass or threaten individuals or group of individuals because of sex, color, race,
religion, disability, national origin or sexual orientation.
∙ Clothing must not advertise products or brands that cause a disruption to the educational process.
∙ Clothing must not obstruct the full view of a student’s face.
Specifically:
∙ Shorts, skirts and dresses should reach fingertip length when arms are relaxed at their sides (shoulders not hunched.) If they are not that long or lower, tights must be worn underneath them.
∙ Tops should either cover the shoulders OR have straps at least three fingers in width. Tops should also cover the chest, the back and the midriff.
∙ Shoes should be outdoor friendly, closed-toe and secure to the foot …such as sneakers or hikers.
so cover the chest, the back and the midriff.
∙No heels, wheeled shoes, flip-flops, crocs or jelli shoes etc. are allowed as they don’t provide the support necessary for safe footing on trails in the ravine. We need to make sure students are safe in the woods and teachers often don’t have time to allow for changing shoes. On wet or rainy days this fall and next spring, you may want to send boots/galoshes.
∙No heels, wheeled shoes, flip-flops, crocs or jelli shoes etc. are allowed as they don’t provide the support necessary for safe footing on trails in the ravine. We need to make sure students are safe in the woods and teachers often don’t have time to allow for changing shoes. On wet or rainy days this fall and next spring, you may want to send boots/galoshes.
∙ Hats of any kind, hoods or sunglasses are not allowed in buildings unless a medical condition (with doctor’s note) requires them. CRSS staff may designate special occasions for hat wearing in the classroom or across the campus.
∙ Clothing must cover undergarments completely.
∙ Clothing worn each day should be appropriate for school, the weather, and being outdoors. Being outdoors means we will sit on the ground, hike through the woods, and learn outside. Skirt and short length should allow for sitting.
Cannon River STEM School Family Handbook: 2019-2020 p. 11 comfortably outside and walking in the woods. Be aware that outdoor exploration may be in areas with tall plant material on either side (including stinging nettles.) Long pants are recommended and at times may be required by the classroom teacher.
∙ We do advise that students (particularly younger students) have a clean pair of underwear, socks, t-shirt and pants tucked in their backpack or left in their cubby. Students do get wet and muddy from time to time, and this precaution can eliminate the need to call home!
Students who come to school inappropriately dressed may be asked to:
1. change clothing if he or she has other items at school, or if other clothing is available at school;
2. turn clothing inside out if possible;
3. have parent/guardian bring other clothing to school.
Have a Wonderful Weekend! We'll see you on Tuesday, April 13.
Very Kind Regards,
Theresa Gunderson
CRSS Interim Executive Director
Recent News
New Executive Director
Cannon River Stem School Board of Directors has chosen Wendy Reinsch Fisher as our new Executive Director
Cannon River STEM School New Substitute System
Coming Soon! Cannon River STEM School will be partnering with Frontline Absence Management, formerly Aesop, for our Substitute Teachers and Paraprofessionals. Please watch for more details. If you are interested in being a substitute please contact Jennifer Clark at jclark@crssraptors.org.
CRSS Student City of Faribault 2020 Stormwater Poster Contest Winners
Congratulations to the Cannon River STEM School Students who were selected as winners of the City of Faribault 2020 Stormwater Poster Contest. This contest was held in collaboration with the Cannon River Watershed Partnership. All of these students received an award of various types, which could have included Faribault Aquatic Center Tickets, Open Gym Punch Cards, Park & Rec Bags and T-Shirts, etc. Name listed below poster is the artist and winner. (Please click on the article title to view the whole article, including winning posters with names.)
2021-2022 School Year Applications Currently Being Accepted
Spread the word! Now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year. Click on article title to be taken to the page containing more information and applications.
Cannon River STEM School Current Learning Plan
CRSS will return to in person learning for K-2 on January 19, 2021 and 3-5 on February 2, 2021, and will resume the A/B Hybrid Model for 6-8 on January 19, 2021. Please click on the article title to be taken to the page with our current learning plan for more details.
Distance Learning Meal Information
Please click on article title to see a graphic with more information.
Free COVID-19 Community Testing
From the Minnesota Department of Health: "The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) works in partnership with communities to provide safe and free on-site COVID-19 testing in areas with outbreaks, increasing cases, or other barriers to access existing test sites.
Check this page to stay up to date on locations and dates for new community testing sites. To get regular COVID-19 email updates, including announcements of new community testing events, Subscribe to COVID-19 Updates."
You can subscribe to updates by clicking the title of this article, viewing the poster, and visiting the MN Dept of Health website shown on the poster.
About Us
- 500 Student Service Hours per Month
- 300+ Outdoor Hours per School Year
- 50 Pounds Composted per Day
- 1+ Miles of Outdoor Trails